In Ikebukuro, the lives of its citizens continue intertwining with each other as if their fates are predestined. Mikado Ryuugamine is now one step closer to his goal of living an exciting life, and in turn, delves deeper into the darker side of Ikebukuro. After gaining absolute control over a former rival, he uses his newfound power as he pleases, purging the Dollars from the inside to mold it into the ideal organization. This proves to be as challenging as it sounds as Mikado must now deal with unwanted outside interference, most notably a re-emerging and dearly missed friend. Meanwhile, Izaya Orihara still has some schemes up his sleeve, although a rival information exchange center has proven to be quite the hindrance, lurking within everyone's favorite downtown district. Undoubtedly, sooner or later, chaos will strike again.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
sushiisawesome
The build-up is done, the cards have been set, and all that remains is to see how everything pays off in the end. Durarara is a series where the normal meets the abnormal, and not everything is what is seems at first. But what is normal? What lies beneath the mask that any particular character has? And where is this entire story going? This season answers these questions and leaves more wide open to interpretation. What many people often complained about ever since the first half of the first season is that they miss the lack of a particular main character, and equal focus from character tocharacter. There's also the argument that the show focused on the most boring characters instead of the more interesting ones, which hurt people's enjoyment of the second half.
These arguments are irrelevant, and all that build-up has found an extremely interesting and satisfying answer in this season.
The story for this season follows a semi-episodic format similar to what we've gotten used to in Durarara so far. The only difference is that instead of leading to anti-climax to anti-climax, which was a major complaint in the second half of the first season as well as the first third of the second season, there is finally a feeling of real tension, that things will no longer remain the same and that the story finally has a purpose of sorts.
The characters no longer are walking aimlessly into one another without purpose, and instead are setting up factions to confront one another and find the answers that they seek in Ikebukoro. Everyone has developed and changed, and not everyone picked the faction that people assumed they'd pick at the beginning of the season. And yet the reasons why every character picked the faction they did makes sense and is logically consistent with their development up until this point, instead of the show having plot twists for no other reason than having plot twists.
The deciding factor behind the enjoyment of this season, however, is whether or not you enjoyed Mikado's development throughout the show. I personally felt his character made sense in the context of the show from the very beginning, and this season only made that more clear through the various actions he took (controversial as they may be). There was build-up to his character and it finally paid off here, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
The soundtrack is as consistent and fluid as it always was, and the voice acting was absolutely amazing and spot on. Particular mention needs to go to Mikado's voice actor, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, who did an utterly fantastic job at voicing Mikado from scene to scene, switching between calm and composed to absolutely chilling very naturally and consistently.
The artwork and animation is the same, though I must add that it was a definite step up from the various awkward scenes in Shou. The backgrounds look fantastic and the movement feels smooth and consistent, so no real problems here.
Overall, this season was a blast. It finally feels like the amazing climax we've been waiting for is arriving next season, and to say that I'm excited for the final season of Durarara is the understatement of the century.
Flawfinder
To say that Durarara is no longer as popular as it once was is like saying Ariel Winter has had problems growing up. But it’s not like the show was providing much incentive to keep itself relevant in the public eye considering the creators seemed to give up on it long before the audience did. I mean at least most oversold inexplicably popular anime look nice regardless of their awful writing. Despite being made by the same team, Durarara’s production, pacing, style, and even the writing (which wasn’t exactly Pulitzer Prize material or Paranoia Agent - a much better psychological anime centered on multiple characters- to begin with) have tanked since its emergence in 2010. In fact, I can’t even recall when I last saw it on a sales chart let alone witnessed any sort of hype or merchandise for the thing. Yeah, you’re living in a more fujoshi-filled world now, Durarara. Either get more pretty or accept your defeat with dignity.
But Durarara didn’t seem to get the memo and decided to take all the complaints we levied at the thing, arranged it on the wall, and then set it on fire. Because if you thought Shou was trying its damndest to imitate a politician last time, Ten is pretty much giving real-life presidents a run for their money with its empty promises and redundant dialogue. Do you remember how the first cour of this second season ended with Mikado becoming leader of the Blue Squares and that it signaled his first real step into the journey of darkness, getting the most naive of viewers excited for what was to come in three months? I mean even the fucking terrible opening was hinting that it’d focus on his continuing downward spiral as a merciless Dollars exterminator. Well you’ll be pleased to know that in this twelve-episode long cour, only one is dedicated to that plot point and the rest of it is spent on trying to forget it ever existed.
People say Durarara’s plot is hard to summarize, but I say they’re not thinking hard enough because it’s really quite easy to do, and in three words no less: “really badly written”. If you need more context, the gist of the matter is that the Dollars are starting to turn into the literal version of current-day 4chan and Mikado wants to purge the trolls so that the group will be back to the way it was before and, more importantly, Ikebukuro will be safe for Masaomi and Anri. Said friends decide to get their own factions together in order to stop Mikado whilst some asshole named Yadogiri Jinnai has certain plans regarding the monsters who live in Ikebukuro and Izaya has plans involving Celty’s head that are still vague at best, causing them to form their own factions in the process. Oh, and Mikado gets the yakuza involved when one of their best guys named Akabayashi join courtesy of Celty and...oh Christ, I can’t go on. This shit is fucking stupid. I’ve seen Jodorowsky films that were easier to keep straight.
It’s pretty safe to say that if you’re not up to speed on Durarara at this point, you’re not welcome, because Ten assumes you remember all the complications from prior seasons and then adds in a few more for good measure. Every single person who’s not part of the main cast gets focused on this go-around despite having virtually no storyline significance, and then the show decides to give Izaya some backstory for good measure despite the fact that he hasn’t been relevant to any of Ikebukuro’s going-ons since the Yellow Scarves arc. And Celty hasn’t been relevant ever, despite Narita’s assistance that she’s the main character. About the only way that’s true is that everything is connected to her and forgive me if we have different definitions dude, but I’m pretty sure main characters are supposed to do more than that. Like, y’know, driving the story with their character arc?
So does anything actually happen in Ten beyond establishing shit? Sorta. It’s just that it’s all incredibly inconsequential to the point that Mr. and Mrs. Filler are denying any allegation that they know the stalker arc or the “Dotachin getting run over and ending the show after what feels like the halfway point” one. You see, Durarara - and Baccano to a lesser extent - has always had a problem with tension because all the good guys are massively overpowered to the point that I’m surprised no one’s made an official fighting game out of the Naritaverse yet, and all the bad guys are fucking pathetic by comparison. You honestly can’t expect me to believe that Rui was in any trouble in regards to that kickboxing weirdo given that Masaomi and Mikado went through him shortly afterwards with only a few bruises, and she’s around Celty’s level in terms of fighting off thugs. So you’ll forgive me if I nodded off several times watching it apart from a slightly amusing minute when Shizuo thought his brother and the famous pop idol were getting married.
This somewhat changes when Izaya assembles his own Suicide Squad of capable fighters, but none of them ever directly confront the protagonists unless you count Aoba’s sunglasses-wearing brother, and Izaya seems to have no plans in regards to letting them. They’re pretty much only there for the sequel hook, and I seriously doubt much will come from it, because even when you take the one-sidedness into account, Durarara’s fight scenes are unbearably bad. This is the first time I remember noticing it, but the action seems to always end right when it’s about to get good and whenever the opposing parties are equally matched, it always ends with them walking away from each other with the promise to meet next time. Shizuo hasn’t had any interaction with Izaya since this show made its return last January, so it’s no wonder the fangirls have been going to other sources when it comes to slash-fic material this year (and incidentally, there’s quite a lot this season alone). I mean there is that episode that showcased how important Shinra is to Izaya and all, but it’s just not the same.
There’s not really much more that needs to be said about Durarara at this point other than that it needs to be put out of its misery and fast because it has long since passed the point where its conclusion could possibly be worth it and anyone who says otherwise is either incredibly shallow or incredibly delusional. That said, I am surprised at how much this sequel has eroded people’s goodwill towards the franchise as a whole, as with the exception of maybe Moyashimon, most people seem to agree that the first season still holds up well to this day and everything after is non-canon in the same way most people only acknowledge the first Matrix movie or the first Pirates of the Caribbean. And whilst that’s certainly true to an extent, I’ve seen way more people turn against Durarara as a whole than I did when Chuunibyou 2 caused people to explode in a fountain of moe tears. But I guess I shouldn’t talk. I mean I bought the Aniplex DVDs back in the day and now they’re just crying in a far corner of the room whilst I try to figure out how selling things on eBay works.
Not selling the key chain though. After all, it’s not Celty’s fault that she’s stuck in a poorly written, poorly directed, and poorly animated mess.
ZephSilver
There's a popular theory by playwright, Frigyes Karinthy, known as the "6 Degrees of Separation," which claims that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. Basically the theory implies that everyone is connected to everyone else, in one way or another, within six acquaintances or less. So in some way, you, the reader, is connected to me, the writer. I find this theory to be not only appropriatebut also an essential insight when talking about Durarara!!. Not only does it adhere to this philosophy in the way it approaches its story but also in the way it brings it all together. Despite the ignorance that the characters of Ikebukuro have towards each others' personal affairs, when the layers are all peeled back, they're all a part of an intricate, interconnected web. And it's seeing this interconnected web all flow into a central stream of consciousness to form one overarching narrative that sets DRRR apart from its contemporaries. But despite being able to encapsulate this kind of story better than most titles, Durarara still suffers from the same issues that plagued its prior installments.
Without question, DRRR's unique approach to storytelling is its biggest highlight, and that isn't something that has changed as it continues to build upon its franchise's name. Picking up from where we left off in DRRR!!x2 Shou, we find ourselves following up on the events that happened in the Shou's climax after the dust has settled from the turf wars. Since Shou was mostly dedicated to gradual buildup, this season was able to benefit off of its coattails by zeroing in on a more focused narrative. The plot doesn't feel as scatterbrained as before, which automatically makes it more engaging than the season prior.
By far the most significant change comes with Mikado Ryuugamine's new methods of dealing with the Dollars. While he never believed in establishing any sort of law-and-order and let the gang operate without his interference, his new actions are almost night and day, as we see him become more abrasive and hands-on with his approach. No longer is he a bystander in the turmoil that occurs in Ikebukuro, now he's an active player, as we see him roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty. Whether Mikado is the proprietor or merely a pawn being used by someone else is up for debate, but his new outlook is undeniable. While the actual buildup to this extreme mindset change was, to be quite honest, half-assed, it still does wonders for keeping the audience engaged. Since the pacing of DRRR has always been notoriously slow, this plot development was one that was greatly welcomed. It brought much-needed change in what can be considered a monotonous dribble at times. While there are still episodes and moments where the meandering became overwhelmingly apparent, the payout at the end of each plot point at least delivered more than the season prior. But like the seasons before it, the sluggish pacing coupled with the "beating around the bush" approach of storytelling still prevented it from having any significant progression in the narrative throughout. This is an anime where most of the intrigue comes from piecing the puzzle together, than the actual finished product you'll get from it when it's all said and done.
As mentioned before, the most prominent character transformation comes from Mikado Ryuugamine, but another noteworthy standout this season was also Izaya Orihara. While what I'm about to say may seem like a minor detail, I still think it's worth mentioning. If you look at the show's cover art, it gives hints as to who the focus of the season will follow; this is also evident when compared to the cover art of every season so far. A quick glance through the catalog will show an abundance of characters in the prior season's cover pictures, but this time, the show only highlights the 2-star attractions (with exception to the show's mascot Celty separating their profiles). This can allude to the show shifting focus from the ever-expanding cast and take on a more compact narrative approach. Instead of branching off into several plot lines, most will now revolve around Izaya and Mikado. Both characters are now using their influence to stir things up in the city and have ultimately become the puppeteers for a lot of occurrences that happen throughout the show's run-time. Even the supposedly "stand-alone" story-lines find themselves being distorted and warped by the actions of these two important figures. The turmoil that comes, as a result, gets the other side characters caught up in the cross-hairs. In typical DRRR fashion, the "point of view" method of storytelling is the process used to show the influences Mikado and Izaya has on others. This also includes several of the characters that will provide a new piece to the puzzle, regardless of their awareness of the situation at large or not. This perfectly ties back to "6 Degrees of Separation" theory, showing that Ikebukuro is connected on the most rudimentary of levels.
Izaya was always something like Ikebukuro's version of the Joker, and now with the extra screen-time finally given to him, he's able to get the proper characterization and fleshing out that he greatly lacked before. This was an issue that the seasons prior suffered from since the show spread itself too thin by trying to cover every character under the sun. While the same can't be said for a majority of the cast, it should be noted that there were some improvements to be found, as more life was breathed into a few characters that came off as wooden before. This isn't to say that most of them aren't still heavily reliant on one personality quirk to stand out, it's just that the ones that do get the extra minutes of screen-time are slightly more tolerable than they were before.
But despite the much-needed improvement to some characters, it's still almost nauseating at times trying to keep tabs on all of their involvement in the plot. Not to say that it's hard to follow, but there are still far too many irrelevant characters that serve close to no purpose to the show's overarching narrative to warrant their presence being anything worth keeping track of. And for those that do have a connection to the bigger picture, a lot of them remain underdeveloped. Some did get a chance to be fleshed out, but even then, it was only covering the fundamentals that should have already been done by the seasons prior. If a show takes 40+ episodes to meet the basic standards of characterization expected of it, then that show isn't being handled well. As I said, there are improvements found but far too little to support the increasing demand placed on it by the content provided.
All in all, the downsizing of the character focus helped to make this season a little more tolerable than the scatterbrained approach of Shou. While this could be a direct result of Shou serving to set the stage and x2Ten piggy-backing off of that, regardless of the reason, it was less taxing as a result and therefore easier to invest into the scenarios that were playing out.
The art and animation, for the most part, remained relatively the same as the quality found in Shou. This made the transition into the new season to feel like one cohesive piece, which will help to maintain immersion for those watching them back to back. This also applies to the character designs as well, which didn't show any noticeable changes in the way they were drawn. The contrast between the opaque textures found in the background and the figures in the foreground also helped in giving everything depth of field. The soundtrack from the prior season is also carried over as well, but with the darker tone shift that this season seems to be taking on, the track choices are more on the drearier side of the OST, than the usual upbeat songs like "The Sought-after Extraordinary."
Enjoyment | Overall: 5/10
While I've found more to enjoy out of this season than what the prior had to offer, it still isn't all that much to enhance my opinion of the franchise as a whole. There are still many dead time moments and focus placed on tag-along characters for me to get fully invested. For the most part, the show just ends up being a snore fest. It's just not my cup of tea.
For every decent payout that Durarara offers, it is followed up by a stagnant and often tedious buildup that makes the endless journey not worth it. Every time I consider suggesting DRRR to someone, I'm constantly reminded that the pacing is still abysmal, the characterization is still lax, and no matter how "cool" the idea of an interweaving narrative sounds, it doesn't amount to much if very little is being done with it. Durarara isn't a bad show; it's just one that is poorly realized at this point, being stretched out entirely too long for its own good.
Tentaculat
Easily the weakest Durarara season so far, sporting problems with its animation and seemingly random characterization created by the omission of information from the light novels. Characters will usually talk about events or characters that do not appear on the anime which can cause confusion and eventualy, the lost of interest in the series. This season adds a lot of new questions but answers very few of the already existing ones while adding several new characters that are not very well developed ( if at all ). Overall this season feels like it exists to bridge the previous season with the next one. If you've watchedall of Durarara so far and enjoy it you will probably watch this season as well although be prepared to feel underwhelmed and somewhat dissapointed by it.
nomnhah
You must let yourself be seduced by Ikebukuro - that is, if you want to continue enjoying Durarara. New cours of DRDR have all faced similar criticisms: the cast continues to grow beyond what can be expected, the art is at times shoddy, the vast number of subplots are at times difficult to keep track of, the pacing is glacial. DRDR inches forward one subplot after another over the span of several weeks, and beloved characters like, say, Simon, are put on the backburner, though paraded about for what seems more like fan service than necessity. Simon, ever the minor character, is not the onlyone, though; even Shizuo and Celty are more withdrawn in this cour, often appearing without their usual significance, while Orihara Izaya receives more screentime, and backstory, than ever before. This may be regrettable to some – perhaps it even feels as if Ikebukuro is no longer as recognizable.
Indeed, as the show wraps itself up in more and more intrigue, introducing and emphasizing individuals and groups with ease, DRDR's trademark sense of ambiguity becomes a liability. Huge casts, after all, tend to fall along moral lines, with groups of Good and groups of Bad, giving the viewer some mental freedom to assign characters into digestible categories. DRDR is not so merciful. Everyone is a character – not a character type, as they almost all seem on the surface, and as usual the unique style of narration, vintage Ryogo Narita, feeds us stories about the inner and outer lives of the cast.
There are problems of clarity with the plot, too, as the light novels, dense with information, grow even more difficult to adapt. This is, of course, a recipe for disaster; more characters come in, developing more subplots, and resulting in a need for more information. However, this is not as overblown as some have made it, and by and large DRDR remains the comprehensible mess it's always been.
But, when DRDR works, it works extremely well. When the unique, though now predictable, formula of chaos that governs Ikebukuro produces a major plot point, the result is pure gold. DRDR lives off an implicit promise it has with the viewer: that what is insignificant or unclear alone will become significant when whole. It's to the benefit of the viewer that DRDR tends to work, that all of its kinks and issues do not for the most part stop a satisfying result.
I am keen to admit DRDR's flaws, if only because I consider the majority of them the inherent risks involved in using an ensemble cast to depict the life of a city – which, as a choice of style/narration, does not seem to me worth harping on about. There are legitimate criticisms along the lines of pacing and cast, I'm sure, but I myself hardly notice any of those sort of problems. As always, the soundtrack – integral to the narrative – is fantastic, and the pacing, if glacial, has not disheartened me in the slightest.
But I have, I admit, been seduced by Ikebukuro. When DRDR is at its best, it is a masterpiece; and when it isn't at its best, it's still more interesting than the vast majority of anime. If you are burning to know the mystery behind Celty and Seika, or what the schemes of Yodogiri Jinnai will result in, and so forth, the pace may perturb you. But my mild curiosity about these things is overwhelmed, completely, by my interest, at times almost Izaya-like, in DRDR's Ikebukuro and its abnormal residents; and it is for the atmosphere of Ikebukuro, the air that seems to tingle with mystery and the unknown even with characters we know the best, that I continue to watch DRDR.
Dalek_of_Skaro
Durarara!! X2 Ten Review: Honestly, there's not much to say about DRRR!! at this point that hasn't been said. Everything that worked well in past seasons worked here. Animation and sound are solid and lord knows that characters are fantastic throughout. So what makes X2 Ten special? Well, not a whole lot. Actually, my overall feeling for this part of X2 were more along the lines that it's setting up for what's to come in X2 Ketsu. And setting up isn't bad, but it definitely isn't what you watch the show for. X2 Ten also suffers from the same issues other parts of DRRR!! suffer from,with there being lots of characters and many plot lines that can get confusing to keep up with, and for this reason, I recommend binge watching, as always. Overall, X2 Ten does what it needs to and builds on the great story of Ikebukuro and prepares us for what's to come in a few months.
And that's why Durarara!! X2 Ten gets an 8/10
No_Longer_Human
Durararax2 has dropped off from the original in overall quality to form what is essentially, a plot more confusing that the movie Memento. The same applied for Shou, and the same now applies for Ten. The non-linear plot, which was a unique favorite of the original 20 something episode series, is now as confusing as Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner's sexuality. It starts randomly, and skips way too much, that every new episode is like a new spin off of the anime itself. Trust me, it's like between the last episode and the next episode you got blackout drunk. Characters are introduced haphazardly and never fit that wellinto the story, which is sad to say because the first series did it perfectly. Instead, even main characters, like Shizou, seem to have an episode or two where they are focused on, and then disappear all together, spare indirect cross scenes and mentions. Any problem with this anime stems from the fact the series is 12 episodes long. If these three cours were rolled into 1, the show would be immensely better. Much like those shits you take where you think you're done, but 10 minutes off the toilet & in bed, your ass beckons to you like the ring did to frodo and you're soon back on the toilet faster than DBZ fans are when hearing someone talk shit on their anime. The over arching plot itself is a problem too, also the fault of the 12 episode length. Half the time I had no idea who was the real problem, or what was, and it's even harder to tell where they are going. The show right now feels like a train in a snowstorm, and fuck me if I can see outside but I just hope I get to Vancouver yanno?
The characters themselves, though still with the main supporting cast, are largely unchanged, spare Mikado, who undergoes quite a bit of change. Others, such as Anri & Kida, simply change in the sense of goals, rather than personality, whereas the remaining main cast is rather unchanging, which is a good thing. Izaya is still awesome, as is celty or any other character you can think off, though each receives less screen time than a vagina in a Universal film.
The new characters suffer from, again length. The show introduces characters randomly, and then gives them screen time not worth a Prussian frank. Then, to make matters worse, half the new characters are useless and serve about as much point as lens less ray bans. While some do contribute, others are very unlikable because 1, they don't have enough screen time to develop, or because they are a recycled version of some character from Shou.
Savings graces include the Sound, which is still amazing whether it's the soundtrack or OP's and Endings. Then we have the art which is never lacking at all and the animation, which is very well done and as fluid as one of my shits after panda express.
Overall-
Despite the plot being as reliable as an old dodge dart, it never ceases to entertain, and is always a rather beautiful work of art(anime) and despite constantly claiming issues, I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and I can't wait until the third cour comes out.
BanjoTheBear
(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) I am a suburban-born kid. I had the backyard, the nice house, and the friendly neighbors. I was not surrounded by shops or tons of cars or a plethora of people. Going to the city was an adventure. Usually for a sports game or a get-together with the extended family. Either way, I always felt out of place. I felt as if the city would consume me. That the city would take me in and never let me leave. Ikebukuro, the setting within Durarara!!x2 Ten, would be another city where I would most certainly not feelat home. The lights and the bustle would contribute to this feeling, but the people – the super-strong butler, the headless rider, and the demonic slasher – would influence me the most. Yet the people in Ten, while fictitious, represent a similar sentiment of misplaced comfortability.
STORY
Ten sits in a strange spot. It is not the first season of the series, and it is not the (currently known) last either. It is the continuation of the setup for the last. In other words, what this season gave was even more setup.
Many of the plotlines within Ten are designed to be just that, setup. Minor details might carry over from one episode to the next, but Ten is more concerned about what has yet to be rather than what is about to be. Information dumping, character expounding, and so on. For example, one episode focuses entirely on a group of forgotten characters and their incestuous relationship, reminding the audience of who these people are and what they stand for. Another episode demonstrates a broker’s manipulative capabilities that, by extension, introduce a new set of characters. Another still provides extensive backstory on a gangster that was brought in during the second season (the setup to the setup). Each of these episodes are almost standalone in their presentation, as if their inclusion in the season serves little purpose outside of their singular episode. But given that Ten is on the divide between the climax and the rising action, these separate setups should seemingly pay off in the long run.
Unfortunately for the anime, there are a handful of plotlines that do not know whether they want to be setup or want to be important now. The most obvious culprit of this wishy-washy behavior is the Stalker Arc. This arc takes up a quarter of the season, putting a lot of emphasis on this portion of the show. The villain’s motivations are made clear, tension builds, and events progress, all in an attempt to make the plotline have relevancy. Then the plotline suddenly concludes. Technically the stalker is still at large, the built tension is lost, and the anime reverts back to its standalone format. The argument is that the Stalker Arc created the other scenarios that followed: Shinra’s recovery, Masaomi’s reformed Yellow Scarves gang, and so on. Meaning, the plotline is not completely useless. But since the main conflict never sees closure, the plotline feels incomplete despite the show supposedly wanting to use this arc again in the future.
It is not just the Stalker Arc that is confused. When Celty confronts Izaya on the roof about Shinra’s attackers, the aside about her sensing that Izaya has the head to her headless body is never followed through. The young girl that Izaya essentially told to commit suicide appears in the very beginning, once (without dialogue) sometime in the middle, and never again anywhere else. The dojo is presumably an important location – considering the old, semi-new, and new characters that walk through it – but those attached to the place, while shown occasionally, are not particularly influential within the season. As these examples prove, Ten does not always have a strong grasp on if it wants to do everything now or save its events for later.
However, Ten does have a grasp on one of its biggest themes: the sense of belonging. To be fair, the overarching plotline is a bit silly. Mikado is personally purging the Dollars in order to make Ikebukuro a home for Masaomi and Anri. Masaomi, worried about Mikado, starts up his gang again in order to defeat Mikado and hence protect him. All of this while Anri is ignored by both. Quite the asinine plotline. Despite the stupidity of the plot, what actually happens follows Mikado’s own ideas about the future of the city. Many of the staple characters, such as Shinra, Shizuo, and Kadota, are “taken out” of the city. These are the people who fit within the city the most, yet they are the ones that do not have a place within it. The iconic chat room evicts its original tenets in favor of new ones, indicating the shift Ikebukuro is feeling. Even the Dollars as well, the most tolerant group, are forcibly removing people from their “home.”
Most importantly, though, is how Ten showcases the effects of these removals. With Shizuo arrested, people do not feel safe. With Kadota gone, the citizens are mentally frightened. With both of these men gone, Shinra is, understandably, worried about Celty’s safety. The new chat users make it confusing for the audience to follow who is who and who is saying what. As for the Dollars, their tactic of solving violence with violence is obviously nonsensical, but that is the point. Not having a place to call home means a bigger exposure to danger. So as Ikebukuro becomes less of a home for its denizens, the amount of violence that everyone – from Mikado to Izaya to Celty – experiences increases.
This is not the end for the Durarara series, but based on what Ten has provided and what it is supposed to come, it still has a lot of ground to make up.
ANIMATION
Ten, like every part of the series, prioritizes the city and its cast over anything else when it comes to its art and its animation.
Per usual, the non-main actors in Ikebukuro are grayed out, a technique that keeps the spotlight on the cast. Per usual (per usual), the city is highlighted as much as possible. Low shots on a highway, aerial views of the skyscrapers, back alleys of the seedier areas, apartment complexes, and random locations on the street give the audience a virtual tour of the chaotic city in a similarly chaotic manner. Interestingly, the color palette of Ten is not remarkably varied. Many of the colors are drab; they do not breathe life into the city but rather remove life from it. Given the theme on belonging, this kind of artistic direction is a clever addition.
Slight errors in the art exist, usually when the anime places the camera far away from the characters, but nothing so egregious that a viewer would be distracted. Actual animation, however, should have followed in the art’s well-executed footsteps, because it did not. Despite the prevalent action and the eccentricity of the characters, movement of an appropriate level does not exist. Some instances do see an elevated amount, such as during Mikage’s arrival to rescue Izaya or when Celty is frightened of the coppers so she swiftly makes her escape (with a bonus, comical head shiver). These moments are rarer, though. Vorona’s acrobatic scenes are more common; the background is removed and close-ups are used in order to reduce the amount of actual movement. That is, Ten instead sticks mostly to showing off its art, with framed and angled shots that somewhat make up for the lack of animation throughout the season.
And as for the designs of the (new) characters, they fit right alongside the rest of the cast. Mikage’s spiky red hair, muscular body, and bandaged chest outwardly reflect both her tomboyish behavior and her fighting prowess. Adabashi has scars all over his body and has a snarl on his face, but when he wears his hoodie, the plain hair and plain faced man is like any other John Smith; the perfect disguise for a stalker. And Hiroto, the drug smuggler, wears a hoodie, glasses, and has frazzled brown hair that turns him into the moody teenager that he is. Some of the older cast members also see new getups. Shinra, after he is injured, has bruises and sprains aplenty. Mikado, too, with his new zip-up jacket highlights his new outlook on life. Even Vorona ditches her usual motorcycle gear in favor of some casual attire. Thus, anyone can tell that the designs of the characters (per usual…) are of high quality.
CHARACTERS
If the Durarara series is known for anything, it is the quirky cast that it contains. Iconic characters like Celty the Dullahan, her ominous background contrasting with her girly behavior. Recent characters like Hollywood, the idol by day and the violent murderer by night. Even the new ones like Kujiragi, who acted as the secretary for “Mr. Yodogiri,” but was in reality the leader of the Yodogiri group the entire time. This quirkiness is what is alluring. It is fun to watch these arguably unique characters come together and duke it out in various ways.
Yet, among all of the characters, there is one that, while not technically missing, does not have as much of a role this time around. That person is none other than Mikado. It is fair to say that Mikado is the main character. He is the leader of the Dollars, the largest gang in Ikebukuro. He is always (near) the front of the main graphic, acting as the poster child for the series. And he is connected to the most people in the city at any given moment. This season, however, has considerably less of the boy. Thus it begs the question, why displace focus away from the main protagonist? There are two reasons, one simple and the other complex. The simpler of the two ties back to the earlier discussion about the rest of the cast. Mikado is not interesting. He is a wimp. He is a passive dude. He is, for all intents and purposes, a boring guy. So, rather than focus on Mikado’s character, the anime tends to favor the abundant amount of interesting people that surround him.
The more complex reason is infinitely more interesting, and much more profound than simply focusing on the more intriguing characters like Vorona and Izaya. He is ignored because that is a clever way to continue the theme of belonging. By not focusing on the main character of the series, Ten effectively challenges what it means for someone like him to exist among the city of crazies. From his actions – taking part in violence to make Ikebukuro a “better” place for Anri and Masaomi to live – the audience witnesses how much Mikado does not deserve to be there. He did not deserve to be there before because he was going with the flow, and now he still does not deserve to be there because he is trying to turn the city into something it is not (through less-than-favorable means).
Who does gain the focus throughout Ten? Akabayashi, of the Awakusu group, is one of the earliest to gain the spotlight. His background is revealed, as is his run-in with the slasher demon that rests within Anri. Vorona and Hollywood, too, get extra attention once more. The former has conflicting feelings on who she is and what she is doing whereas the latter is shown to have a darker, twisted past than was previously thought. Not to mention Hollywood is, like many people in Ikebukuro, a novelty; her body is capable of regenerating itself. Even Namie, her brother Seiji, and his “girlfriend” Mika have an episode all to themselves, as if the anime wanted to let its audience know that these characters still existed. A nostalgic nod, and a welcome one, too.
Surprisingly, though, it is Izaya, the information broker, that receives the most satisfying development. Izaya has always been known as the pest, as the troublemaker without a heart. And for much of the season, Izaya is exactly like this: arrogant, manipulative, and cruel. Yet Shinra, much to the disbelief of everyone let alone Celty, recounts a tale of Izaya acting like a kindhearted person. Yes, him ruining the life of another to avenge his friend is still a bit twisted, but “it is the thought that counts,” as they say. So for the first time, the audience sees a side of Izaya that had been repressed.
Izaya’s development is at the expense of Shinra’s incapacitation. For many other characters, this same theme – someone influenced by the troubles of another – persists. Walker and Saburou are spurred on due to the disrespectful attack on Kadota, their best friend. Vorona regresses back to her normal self after Shizuo is arrested. Masaomi, realizing that Mikado is risking his life, becomes the leader of his old color gang once more. Mikado, Hollywood, and Akabayashi, discussed earlier, likewise grow as characters but only at the expense of others.
What this theme demonstrates is how much everyone in Ikebukuro relies on one another. Even more profound is that this demonstrates that everyone in Ikebukuro are who they are because of one another. Combined with the theme on belonging, Ten makes it clear that people can only be who they are when the people close to them are safe and sound.
Though not everyone gets attention. The new dojo siblings, Eijirou and Mikage, are barely characterized despite their apparent connection and feud with Izaya. Aoba is the hidden kingpin, but outside of a menacing glare in the middle of the season he has little else given about him. And Celty, for the second season in a row, is still more or less on the sidelines. To be fair, Ten has a humongous cast, so expecting every single person to change over the course of twelve episodes is absurd. But given that these same characters are either brand new, are highly important, or have been around since the beginning, and they all contribute enough to remain relevant throughout the season, not giving them the appropriate amount of change that they deserve is not what one could call a boon.
SOUND
The opening theme for Ten makes the listener feel as if he is riding on a highway within a bustling city. That is a cool feeling, especially because Ikebukuro is such a prominent part of the series. The song is also invigorating due to the vocalist’s passionate singing. On top of all this, the erratic noises during and at the end of the song match the kind of chaos Ikebukuro is prone to. Alongside the small recaps (which are very helpful when not binge-watching the anime), the OP is quite the strong piece.
Even stronger is the ending theme. A mellow start quickly builds up into a powerful bout of singing and instrumental work that fills the listener with joy. The scrolling characters, the fast beat, and the catchy lyrics come together throughout the piece, but it is the middle section, where it briefly returns to its calm roots and then immediately back to its quickness, that captures the tone of the song. Despite all this, it is the chanting of the chorus, which sort of symbolizes the togetherness of the characters in Ikebukuro, that pushes the ED from nice to stellar.
Besides the OP and the ED, the rest of the soundtrack maintains its atmospheric feel. It is almost exclusively the same music that the series has used from the beginning; jazzy tunes, frightening scores, and accordion mixes. Thus and once again, none of the tracks are worth listening to on their own, but when coupled with Ten (or any other part of the series), the OST stands its ground.
As for the voice acting, while the performances are not poor, nobody provides anything outstanding or notable. Youji Ueda as Adabashi is not as psychotic-sounding as a stalker of his caliber would presumably be. Miyuki Sawashiro as Celty adds extra emotion to the headless woman who seemingly cannot provide any. And Hiroshi Kamiya as Izaya still has one of the cockiest voices imaginable. Misaki Kuno as Akane uses a cute voice, Eri Kitamura as Mairu always sounds so energetic, and Hiromi Igarashi as Mikage provides an underwhelming performance. Altogether, the performances are standard offerings.
ENJOYMENT
Once again, I found myself irked by this show.
The glorification of Izaya for the umpteenth time was one of the biggest reasons. I cannot stand his character. They tried to humanize him a bit this time around; his avenging of Shinra and attempts to locate Namie, for the first time, made him out to be someone who was potentially a pretty cool dude. Then the anime would revert back to its old ways with him. He was happy about getting stabbed. He outsmarted two clans simultaneously. He gained a bunch of new followers, one even being a woman that he raped (supposedly, because the anime nonchalantly mentions this in passing only once). Like the previous season, though, Izaya gets some just desserts right at the end, which was oh-so-satisfying for me. I was happy to see this cocky chump be on the losing end once again because he almost neveris. And that irritates me.
I am also a bit selfish with this series. I like the relationship that Celty and Shinra share. At least, I like the romantic direction that it appears to be going. So, when the anime does not capitalize on the opportunity to further said relationship, it frustrates me. Celty is taking care of Shinra and Shinra is revealing parts of his past with Celty. Would it hurt for them to connect on a deeper level emotionally? The anime certainly thinks so. Shinra goofs around too much to be serious and Celty is either oblivious to his feelings or uncharacteristically scared (Shinra is not a cop) to do anything with him. I love romance and I like their relationship, so getting constantly teased about the fact that there might (potentially) be more simply bugs me.
As for everything else this season had to offer, I am ambivalent. I wish there was more Vorona. I liked that there was less Mikado. I was fine with the amount of Shizuo we got. The anime can be funny at times, although it sticks more to drama. The new characters, like Kujiragi and the dojo siblings, are fine yet so little is given on them currently that a judgement call on their characters is hard to make right now.
As a final comment, having such a large cast makes the show interesting, no doubt. Though I cannot call itenthralling. I chalk this up to the series not pairing up its cast members more generously. Have Anri collide with Izaya. Show Simon interacting with Hollywood. Let the Orihara sisters chat with Shinra. All of these cool characters, together in one city, yet it never feels like they cross paths enough. They are like a bunch of cogs in the same area, but they never seem to move in unison. The result is a stalling of the contraption and, subsequently, a reduction in the amount of entertainment produced.
Durarara!!x2 Ten is stronger than its predecessor, with flavorful characters and some impactful musical choices, although this one is not without its own flaws. The story, once again, could use more direction. Some of the cast members are, once again, forgotten about. And parts of the series are, once again, grating to experience. Yet despite these issues, seeing where Ikebukuro and its citizens will ultimately end up in the near future should be more comforting than any trip to a strange city could ever hope to be.
SUMMARY
Story: Fine, nice setup for the next season, a silly plot, some self-confused threads, and a strong theme on where one belongs
Animation: Good, cool artistic direction, nice character designs, slightly below average actual animation
Characters: Good, not focusing on Mikado is purposeful and clever, strong themes on belonging and expense, but still a sizeable chunk of the cast is ignored
Sound: Good, good OP, great ED, still the same atmospheric OST, okay VA performances
Enjoyment: Bad, Izaya continues to be beyond annoying, needs more Celty and Shinra romance, ambivalent towards most other facets, and just not enough path-crossing
Final Score: 6/10
TheSpaghetti
Because I don't believe in scored reviews I suggest you ignore the 10/10 mark on my scoring, because as it`s well known my 10/10, isn't your 10/10. (but you should really give this one 10/10 Ryohgo Narita is our lord and savior and the best story teller of all times!!!!!) this is a review for the whole second series (that's ten and shou for now.) I don't see any sense in reviewing them one by one because they are a continues story. When ketsu will come out Ill just move this review to that page and change the review a bit depending on ketsu. After that'sout of the way lets get to the actual review. durarara!!x2 is the sequel to the not so popular back when it aired, (you gusted it) durarara!!
the story of the second season start half a year after the first series. On the first episode of the series we have Mikado reassuring us that nothing has changed and that the series is still the same. ( and that all you need to know pretty much, you can now skip this whole review because that's this review`s bottom line.) But than we are introduced to some thing like 12 new characters that at first sight seem meaningless, but as the story progress you start to see how they affect the story more and more.
As always was the case with durarara!! the art and the animation is superb, with character design that always hits the point and keeps the characters divergent enough so that you can identify them, even if you don't remember their names. (which you should because remembering people names is very important in durarara with all the rumors always spiraling.) One gripe that I have with the art and animation is that the fight scenes look a little wonky at time, especially when you look at the knifes and Saika itself, for some reason Saika is curved in a very unnatural way and tends to shrink a get longer at the cameraman's will which is more prominent in fight scenes.
The music is still composed by the legendry Yoshimori Makoto which worked on other masterpieces like baccano!!. (Ryohgo Narita is our lord and savior and the best story teller of all times!!!!!) which does, yet again a splendid job at getting you in mood for the mystery and tension that is durarara!!.
In conclusion durarara!!x2 is still the same durarara!! only the stakes just got a lot higher. durarara is still the breath catching series that closes slowly on you until finally catching you showing you the most awesome thing in the world and than leaving you on the floor wishing that it will never stop, but it stops leaving you with an empty feeling for 2 months wondering aimlessly in the void of the world waiting in anticipation for when it comes back to play a bit and than leave you again only to this time it tells you that when it`ll be back it will bring so much new toys and games with him.
Buuubbblesss
Durarara!!x2 Ten starts with a pretty solid opening, giving you a taste of the setting and the characters with a song that reminds me a bit of the openings used in the original show. Once the opening ceases, Durarara!!x2 Ten proceeds to spin its wheels for the next 20 or so minutes. And eventually, it just gets stuck in the mud. I had my problems with Durarara!!x2 Shou, the follow-up to 2010's Durarara!!. My main issues with Shou were that it seemed to meander aimlessly for long stretches of time, its comically bad animation, and its disinterest in actually keeping the audience engaged with its characters.It was ugly, unfocused, and boring. So going into x2 Ten I thought "surely, this has to get better."
It doesn't get better. It gets much, much worse.
If you cared about the lingering questions from season 1 such as "Will Celty get her head back?", "What's with the Saika thing?", "How will the conflict between the rival gangs end?", or "Who will come out on top in the rivalry between Izaya and Shizuo?", you're out of luck. None of those questions are answered in Ten, just as they weren't in Shou. The story mostly just floats along without a care for what the audience is actually watching the show for. Ten just slings more subplots on top of the pile, regardless of whether or not they tie into the plot points that weren't resolved in the original show.
Whatever semblance of a story that remains is confounded by the poor storytelling. Somehow, the story of Durarara!!x2 Ten is riddled with redundant dialogue and yet still manages to be confusing. Characters often repeat things that have already been said or the viewer already knows, and for the most part the narration used is never actually needed. Like everything else in Ten, it's excessive. Combine that with the occasional out-of-chronological-order storytelling and the sheer number of characters featured in Ten, and you can probably understand why the Durarara!! series has faded in popularity despite the continued installments.
Maybe you're like me and you're only watching because you want to know what happens to Celty. In which case, this has been a pretty miserable ride, hasn't it? Celty was my favorite part of the original anime. She was an unpredictable force that brought life to any scene. She's a dorky and awkward Dullahan who wears a yellow kitty helmet, rides a shadow motorcycle that's an extension of her body, carries a scythe, and communicates with people by showing them what she types on her cell phone. You'd think a character like that would continue to be featured heavily in the later installments, right?
Nope. Celty's character is further diluted in x2 Ten, where she basically just twiddles her thumbs in Shinra's apartment for the entire story. Her quirky personality is muted any time she's actually in a scene, and her motivation as a character appears to have been completely abandoned. Her reason for being in Ikebukuro is that she wants to recover her head. This is pretty much never mentioned in x2 Ten, which makes it pretty difficult to care about anything she does.
TL;DR
If you're a fan of the original anime and want to know what happens with all the plot points that weren't resolved, Durarara!! x2 Ten won't give you any answers. If you didn't watch the original, x2 Ten is so damn confusing that there's no way you'd be able to understand what's happening. It doesn't really work as a sequel nor does it stand on its own.
Quan_
[Adapted From Original Blog Post] [Mini Review] Ten constitutes somewhat of a return-to-formula for the Durarara franchise. While Shou mostly spent its time setting up the overall conflict for the season that would be reimbursed in Ketsu, Ten sets most of that to the edge of the narrative frame, which is brilliant conveyed in possibly the best opening the franchise has had thus far. The random comings-and-goings of the city are the focus in this cour, whether that be detailing a unwary stalker obsessing over a monster pretending to be a human, or a Russian assassin reexamining her life in a new situation that seems to betreating her well.
Some of what Ten dabbles around with is relevant to the overall plot and some of it is not, but it at least provides context to the overall frame of what exactly is happening in Ikebukuro, giving information that we may be able to use as the series prepares itself for the end-game. This leads Ten to be somewhat unfocused, even by Durarara standards. Most of what it has to offer is suitable, but I can't help but feel some loose ends, not quite crucial but still relevant things could have been cleared up so Ketsu could be more focused on the core conflict. In fact, Ten does a rather shoddy job of cleaning house for the third cour to be more focused, the reason for the tad rushed pace of Ketsu.
In that regard, Ten is most similiar to the style and pace of the first season; chaos without the control, which is good news for fans that preferred the first season's entertaining meanderings, and bad news for people who like me who prefer !!x2's thematic focus around a whirlwind of random... stuff. Luckily, Ten does somewhat still manage to please both kinds of fans, finally doing some crucial set-up for the third cour in its last couple of episodes, which more unluckily leads into this cour's most prominent flaw. Being the middle child, Ten lacks a solid beginning or more importantly, a satisfying conclusion, something that Shou was able to do with flying colors. That probably is balanced out since Shou had a rather lackluster start, but it's something to keep in mind as we head into the final verdict.
Out of all three of !!x2's cours, Ten is probably the most easily enjoyable, since it requires less thinking on what the events playing out in front of you mean in the bigger narrative picture, which besides from some certain moments(like the development of Masaomi Kida and the backstory of Izaya Orihara) is reflected in this cour being arguably the least interesting of all of what Durarara has to offer collectively. That's unfortunate, but still, in a second season that has been as unexpectedly complex as this one, a little breather in the middle before we get to the deep stuff is nice, and if that was Ten's intention: to cool off the viewer's expectations before destroying them one cour later, it does its job.
Final Verdict: 7/10
P.S: Shit, he got a new jacket.
For this review and others, feel free to check out my blog! (Link on profile)
LoL4NevEr
*****Spoiler free review******** Weesh, now that's tough. I've been a fairly big fan of Narita's work for a while now, yet i can't say i'm entirely subjective as i'd be with other anime. What mainly made me write this was the particularly aggravating nature of some people's claims when it came to durarara!! x2, some in this review board, others in places here and there. While Shou! to me was weak because it had very little to tell, and probably was one of the most filler-full (that's redudant) set of arcs so far, Ten! has decided to change the pace up a bit. You see, Durarara!! has neverbeen a particularly well paced show. Hell, its pacing was so dreadful i still can't recommend it to most people. But that's part of its charm. As you waste your time away in seemingly unimportant storylines, consider some things given and go with the flow, it manages to make events warp around themselfs and twist in ways that only a show with the particular way of storytelling can.
What i mean by that is, despite it being slow (hella slow), sometimes badly written (lets face it, some of the dialogue is great but some parts are downright poorly written), and sometimes outright confusing (the first season as well as some parts of this were not directly converted from the light novels, causing some confusion along the ranks of ex-brains base people, apparently) the way it presents itself is what manages to keep me interested.
I'll first talk about the shallow stuff, art and sound, then move to story.
Now, i've seen people say Durarara!! looks good, hey, it doesn't. Season one had some charm to it, but right now animation-wise it's not up-to-par. Maybe a bit above average, sure, but only due to the new designs and style they decided to go with, so they could be directly reffering the Light Novel's art.
But what did surprise me is the music. Damn, that music. Every 12 episodes have their own 1 hour soundtrack, and all of it is good. Jazz, some electro-inspired thrash-ish (something something, i don't know what i'm talking about), all give this air of mystery and intrigue.
But what's actually happening in the show? Not wanting to spoil anything for this nor Shou!, Ten! decides that it's time to stomp on the old idea of Durarara, which was about 10 episodes of build-up and 3 of payoff, and go with a more balanced approach. However that's both to its benefit and detriment.
You see, the negative with the old durarara approach is that you have a lot of things to watch in 10 episodes, yet all of them don't really seem important. You'll forget names, events, places, and eventually you'll get bored. Having very few things happen despite the premise of chaos ensuing is not compelling, and i get that.
But when those 3 episodes come, the satisfaction is great. Every piece of the puzzle falls into place, characters evolve and understand, become more than what they used to be. That was the strenght of the past Durarara!! arcs, those few episodes. The rest was but build up.
However with the huge number of characters introduced in Shou!, they all sturggle for screen time. THere are lots of things happening, and they're not dull as they progress the plot in some way. However they're so sparce and incosistent that you'll probably get lost in the chaos. Also the show in Ten! forgets to use its special tool, the many-perspectives storytelling, mainly because it can't, due to the the self-centric nature most of the characters.
All of the cast has gotten darker as time went by, their own aspirations shreded and tossed away. Mikado is a prime example of this, as he's the one with the major change in this season.
However we see very little. While he explains what he wants to do, and it's reasonable and noble, his actions get so very little exposure, plus their interaction with other members of the cast is so minimal, it's hard to care at some point onwards.
Now, so far it looks as if i'm pointing out mainly negative things, and you're right i am. But i am so i can only emphasize what most people get wrong.
You see, not being friendly with people who haven't watched the show in 4 years, i call it "not wasting my time". Being hard to sum up, i call it "good overarching plot". And while that may not always be the case, it has somewhere to lead to.
A lack of "main villain" is always something i adored in the show. Izaya may be considered one, however his actions are within his own frame of mind and understanding, not just what most shows have. With the izaya development in Ten! i was hungry for more, but sadly the show didn't deliver.
And that's the running theme with Ten!, sadly. It builds up so many things, it keeps the pace up so well, but it never delivers. It just stagantly watches as the characters get frustrated and confused, not doing anything to actually bring them closer and solve their missunderstandings. That is, untill the very last episode, which unlike what Durarara has done so far, instead of a payoff it's a cliffhanger.
And now, why do i still care about it?
Well, for many reasons. While characters can be called "quirky" instead of "deep", and i wouldn't consider it unfair, it manages to build up on those quirks just enough to make viewers understand they're actual humans in their own universe. They think and evolve along, moving forward with their ideals despite the actions of others. The cast is stronger than ever, with development done on many sides and perspectives. Everyone has their own worries, but while they can't know everything, they can try and percieve the nature of others. That's what causes missunderstandings.
Not to mention, with Yodogiri Jinnai as well as Saika 2 on the table, we're seing a warfare on a different level. Izaya is no longer the only mastermind, so we can see some further development on that side.
Now, in terms of enjoyment, i think that the best way to summarise Ten! would be episode 7.
You get the feeling of tension watching this season. As if finally they're under a real threat. But not only from others, but from themselfs, too.
Relations are unstable, fragile. When you think that something is certain, Narita cleverly pushes your preconceptions out the window with the last few episodes.
Who's right, who's wrong? That's all depending your point of view.
All in all, i'm glad Durarara!! got attention again. Seing the charts of its light novel going up again this year to the point where this february it's up on the top 10 of Japan, as well as the anime being in the top ten (no pun intended) of the season made me glad. That way we might get more anime adaptations, especially since the core series is done at this point.
If you liked Durarara!!, you'll probably like this.
It's not "more durarara". It's different, it's new. It decided to change and evolve along with its cast.
If you didn't, you could still give it a shot. It's different enough that it might keep your interest.
All in all, just a solid series overall.
Lets hope Ketsu! doesn't dissapoint.
yuekikaze_
The cold shower is a ritual designed for the vitality, cleanliness, and improved mental outlook of a person in the morning. The history of this seemingly masochistic feat reaches back as far as the ancient Greek civilization, who encouraged bathing in ice water. If an individual starts their day with a cold shower, the impact upon the body that just woke up is rousing in both the mental and physical sense and will provide energy for the tasks later that day. If an individual, in the middle of the day, decides to take a cold shower, they may perhaps treat the cold rush against their sun-soakedskin with ecstasy.
If an individual takes a cold shower at night, however, their friends will label him as a masochist.
In my personal experience, the more one does an originally shocking action (the cold shower), the impacts will become less meaningful upon experience, and before long, an individual must do something extra to get the kick again (liquid nitrogen showers, anyone?)
The Durarara series manages to capture this idea adeptly, and no, it does not involve drugs.
Before I delve into the true content of this anime, the characters, the topic of everything else must be addressed. Durarara, in any of its seasons, is not well-known for their art, or their sometime-catchy soundtrack. When watching Durarara right after marathoning 48 episodes of ufotable Fate, the mediocrity of the art struck me as just that; mediocre. While there are some interesting concepts in the depictions of the characters (Celty´s neck smoke comes to mind), the overall illustrations of the other characters were sufficient in conveying basic messages about what kind of character they may be (thin-eyed guy is a cunning bastard, wide-eyes black hair is an anime protagonist, etc.). As for the sound, I felt that this particular season was lacking in sound as compared to the other 3. Nevertheless, as this review is intended to provide an idea of the whole franchise in general, I can´t really give it a blanket description as a whole. I personally like the ending for Shou and both the opening and ending in Ketsu.
Sadly, it is a near staple in anime for male protagonists to be either a complete fuckboy, or half a fuckboy. Durarara cleverly evades this problem with a rather unique solution; not have a protagonist. While some may argue that the notoriously extensive cast of this show slows down the pace of the plot, it can also be stated that every other anime slows the characterization for faster pacing. The story, through each and every season, explains events in a careful and relaxed pace, giving the viewer enough time to place certain events within the timeline. One of the major reasons why this anime flows seamlessly between the viewpoints of different characters is that it the actions of some cunning bastard in one part of the city can severely affect the circumstances of a certain Dullahan in another part of the city. These interactions can be found in almost every episode, and makes the experience of watching this show both entertaining and sufficiently ¨intellectual¨.
Our main character, Mikado Ryugamine, appears to be a normal, traditionally Japanese, rom-com harem king candidate at the beginning of this show. In the first episode, we can see his friend, a boy who appears at first to be a conventional ¨sidekick¨ kind of character. And then we are introduced to another main character. He is walking alongside 3 more main characters. Then, a blond main character throws a heavy appliance machine at another main character. In just the first two episodes, the number of main characters introduced probably outnumber the groupie members of the Nisekoi harem. Anyway, from the time he appears in episode 1 of Durarara to episode 12 of this season, so much of his character is revealed and exposed that you start to wonder if he is the same person. One of his key characteristics is something that would be considered a spoiler. The other is his undying desire to reach a level of ¨extraordinary¨; a lifestyle from which he could escape the mundanities of everyday high school student life.
Mikado Ryugamine throws himself into the supernatural occurrences in the city of Ikebukuro with relish; anything fun, anything not normal would give him a kick out of life. Mikado´s appetite for change in its simplest form, however, is not identical to a cold shower. Whereas a cold shower does dull over the time of a day, life-changing events, if witnessed day-by-day, tend to lose their luster. From the events of the first season (many of which revolves around SPOILERS), Mikado Ryugamine has exhausted most of his tolerance of his current status quo; to achieve a constant state of excitement and ¨extraordinariness¨, one must constantly change. The adventure, inner struggle, and ideals sparked by himself and the people who interact with his belief outline most of the plot after the first season, and provides no less a source of fun.
If I wrote a paragraph on the quirkiness and uniqueness of every main character in this show, I would be late for my cold shower. With the exception of a few characters (guy in lab coat who´s character is literally just loveloveloveloveceltyyesssssssshnnnng), the entire cast of characters all represent something unconventional, fresh, and interesting. When not fighting gang wars, the reactions and responses of unique characters in circumstances ranging from the most everyday aspects of friends at high school to the unexpected interaction of an ancient Celtic deity with modern technology, Durarara manages to deliver the most well-thought-out fairy tale in existence.
Truly a mind-blowing experience. I lost my head.
Wingedsheep
I am very disappointed by the gradual fall in the quality of Durarara. It was one of the most innovate and interesting stories, with all the light novels and manga volumes they had. At first I was very happy that the series will have so many seasons, but, as usual, quantity reduces the quality. To be honest, the last season i kind of forced on myself, since I just wanted to have a complete finish. But it was rushed, there wasn't the same excitement about episodes like it was before. The only thing that I really liked was OST. I think it's okay if youdont expect much of it, but the last season cannot be compared to the first one in any way.
acynicalasian
Durarara!!!×2 Ten... An interesting anime indeed. We watch Mikado join the "dark side" of Ikebukuro in order to do what he feels is right. To be honest, the story is alright. But let me just say one thing. Something about the vibe of Ikebukuro and the anime itself feels utterly wrong. DRRR's ability to competently inspire such convincing auras is its strength, and it delivers as usual. But honestly, this review wasn't really written to review the anime. It ended up doing so, but what I really, really, really wanted to say is...GOD DAMN, I WANT TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF RYUUGAMINE MIKADO.
tl;dr Anime delivers vibes well but induces rage
Mikame-
This is the second half of the second season. If it's been a while since you watched the stuff before, unless you have an amazing memory, it's probably in your best interest to catch up, because you're going to get more new characters and information to go with them. Mikado is in a bit of a power struggle, both with himself and the Dollars. Things can't be changed now, they have no rules, there's nothing he can do.. Until he's given a rare opportunity. Masaomi finally returns to Ikebukuro. He's mostly the same as he was before, but the place where he's returning as changed. Izaya is upto his tricks, which are starting to get him in serious trouble. Shinra and Celty are being adorable. Anri is left wondering about a lot of things and Aoba got exactly what he wanted.
We also get more of Vorona, which I was happy to see. Her character is really good, she's an interesting person and that's portrayed through everything she does.
The story for Durarara is constantly evolving, getting deeper and leading off more trails to branch into other things going on in the city, it's one of the great things about it. The story telling is fantastic. But compared to the other seasons which have pretty high ratings from myself, and as you can tell a lot of other people, this one lacks some of the charm of the others. I'm not sure if it's splitting the season in half, having such a big break between the first and second, or if it's just the time for it to slow down and that's caused some decrease in enjoyment; whatever the issue is, it's still really good as a whole and worth watching.
Unlike the first half of the season, no big questions really get answered, you're just left with more. That's not always a bad thing though. So far I've watched a season a day, it's so intense but great at the same time. It's one of the best things I've binged, if you have the time, do it!
TheVampireSaint
I am going to state this as simply as possible. When I review anime, a 7 is a 70% which means the anime was average but nothing special. I noticed most people would say that was worth a 5, or a 50%, but that is an F. If an anime didn't have any obvious flaws other than being nothing special, then I don't think it failed. So please read my reviews with this in mind. This is why most of my ratings seem on the high end. If I enjoyed it enough to finish it, it should be getting a C, not any lower. I haveto start by saying that I am a huge fan of the Durarara series, but this was disappointing to me. I give the original series and the second season both a 9/10, and this one a seven for a few reasons. The main point being the lack of build up, but I a sure it will pay off when the next season is released.
Story(8/10)
As I said before, I was a little disappointed with this one. Of course, that is only because of how it compares to previous seasons. Th story is still really good, but does not stand well as its own season, and I am sure that the next release will show why this season had to be more of a set up than a stand alone. The main reason I say this is that it didn't have the big build up an d huge payoff that the others had. This one built up a lot then just...ended. However, the way in which the story is told and the detail of it is still stunning, so it certainly deserves a high score, whether is had a big finale or not.
Art(8/10)
I wouldn't say that the art quality itself is superior to your typical 2010's anime, but I would say it has a lot more charm. Te characters have this realistic look, but still have a very slender style. The character design really makes this world feel real and tangible. I also love the massive variety within them, something that works well because of the dozens of characters.
Sound(8/10)
I have always loved the Durarara soundtracks. They have this zany but docile feel to them just like the anime. As the story builds the music gets more exciting and just the piano ambiance is really fitting. The voice actors are also very talented.
Character(8/10)
Characters have always been one of the strongest points of Durarara. It is crazy how there can be so so many characters, but they are all so well developed with interesting personalities and backstories. On top of that, most of these characters also mature throughout the show. It is truly impressive how it all works out.
Enjoyment(7/10)
The series is certainly enjoyable, but not as much as the others. It is decent, but nothing particularly stunning. Again, this is compared to the previous chapters, which were extremely entertaining.
In the end, DurararaX2 Ten is a really solid show, but doesn't live up to what came before it. I am excited for how they will follow it up, however, since there is so much build up here. I recommend this to, of course, anyone who is a fan of Durarara. I also recommend this to anyone who like a more subtle and realistic anime, or an anime with a very detailed and twisting story. I won't recommend this to anyone who likes anime that have powerful characters or fantasy elements, though I'm sure you can guess that on your own. So, I also think that if you don't want to put effort into remembering lots of information, this is not the anime for you.
firemercury
You know what this series didn't need? More characters. But we got them anyway. If its been a while since you watched season one or the first arc of season two i recommend you rewatch them before starting this so you can keep track of who everyone is, who knows who, who is who in the chat room and who knows who's real identities. I personally think several of the storylines they've introduced since the beginning of the second season are completely unnecessary and they've now introduced even more loose threads that we don't know where they tie in yet. However it is interesting tosee how everyone fits in and knows everyone else and this arc sets up an interesting dynamic for an explosive finale. I hope the ending is worth all the confusion.
NSpectre7
Hey folks, this will be a review for Durarara!!X2 Ten. Finally is the word I come up with to describe this season. Durarara has been, and still is a long journey that seemingly keeps pushing its own goal line back so as to broaden its scope. This season was joy to watch overall as the last season was an immense drag and it even promises an interesting next season. Anyway onto some more descriptive bits. As always the story is told through the lives of our characters. We don't have many new characters and some of the old ones that didn't have much todo the last season have made a reappearance. The one thing that has changed is the basic framework for how the story is transmitted. The first season did an amazing job of interweaving these mini stories together to make the world feel natural and organic. This season threw that out the window, they kept the same cut in and out and narration based story but made it more episodic. This fit this more action packed season better IMO, however this means that the story has gotten a little too crazy and the writers didn't care enough or couldn't weave it together as they had in the past. So you may ask yourself, "Why give it an 7 then"? Good question!
The reason this season received its score is purely because they decided to go down a path and seem to be finishing it. How many times are we going to see that damn head before we finish that path, how about the estranged couple, what about the other faces of the dollars....the list goes on. This anime has too many stories and never finishes one. The one they seemed to have finished back in the first season isn't finished and honestly it was the stupidest one. This season we have fights, life changing events, feelings and more character growth. This surge in action however makes for more flaws, and more character based issues. Tack that onto the already stretched thin issues with the supernatural themes and you have some mediocre content. However the growth that some of the stories experienced is enough to squelch these feelings and makes me want to see what happens. That isn't something just any mediocre anime can do.
Art and sound were the same as the other seasons.
Characters are the sticky subject for this season, as I have eluded in the story section. Its odd how everyone's character changes a bit. It turns the person you thought you knew a bit about into almost a new character and you have to decide how you take that. Orihara seems to be more human than we expected, Mikado has a complete identity crisis, Celty remains something the anime refuses to acknowledge. This is doesn't even scratch the surface, so much stuff happens that will make you experience this season much differently than either of the previous ones.
I enjoyed this season immensely but, as the excitement settles down I think I will be dissapointed in this anime as a whole. Not that this anime is terrible but it isn't super amazing as people seem to be leading other to believe. On the other hand the idiot giving this a 2 is clearly here to say "Look how cool I am. By giving this anime a 2 I have an alternate opinion so outrageous Ill seem different and maybe even respected.". This anime is something I think people should check out purely for the way it tells its story, its interesting and clearly different. That being said it should have remained a season or two long and tried to polish up the stories they originally laid out. The more it piles on the more it feels like a cheap, everyday anime. Its turned from an amazing plain hamburger where the meat itself is so good that each bite makes you smile, into a hamburger with so much shit on it you wonder if there is any meat at all.
TLDR: Hooray for plot progression. Much better than last season, but be prepared for quality to be reduced.
